The Last Unicorn
by Raiju
Summary: A reflection on how Aya (Ran) sees Sena Izumi...(Takes place BEFORE Gluhen, but after the first season.) (Death, shounen-ai)


The Last Unicorn  
  
---  
  
By: Ryoko  
  
---  
  
A/N: Before I start, I guess I have some explaining to do. The title "the last unicorn" means a lot to me and suits Aya pretty well. When I think of Aya's past, his name, his eyes, his attitude . . . I can best compare him to a dying race, a dying breed. He's so mysterious; it almost makes you wonder if he really is human after all . . . the dying breed or race, being the unicorn: hunted, hurt, but still strong in the hearts of those he loves. I really think that's neat too . . . cuz Aya can relate to that so well . . . It was also inspired by my FAVORITE kids movie "The Last Unicorn", that I watched with my nephew. (Yeah, I still can recite every single line in the WHOLE movie from when I last saw it at age three! And I still love it!) Oh well, I think I should start this fic, now shouldn't I? Oh yeah, since I'm so used to it, Omi/Persia/Mamoru/Bombay (Having an identity crisis yet? GAWD!) Is referred to as Omi.  
  
---  
  
When the last eagle flies  
  
Over the last crumbling mountain  
  
And the last lion roars  
  
At the last dusty fountain  
  
---  
  
It was so silent now . . . no screaming, no crying, no clashing metal or steel, nothing. It was nice, but of little comfort. He felt as though each person he was slaughtering was actually, in turn, killing a part of him. There was almost nothing left to kill anymore, inside of him. Everything was dead.  
  
He wouldn't cry in front of the others. That was a strong vow that he would carry to his grave to keep. As he looked up, a cold wind blew through him and brought light to the thin layer of snow on the ground, carrying it to sweep around the swordsman.  
  
He felt so empty now . . . especially now. It was beginning to be such a numb feeling- killing other humans on a whim- it was getting old and petty.  
  
"Aya . . . " Sena's voice coughed softly. The boy still couldn't move from the wall where he'd been planted, only moments ago, like a rag doll. He was nearly numb all over, or at least he WISHED he were.  
  
Aya knocked his own thoughts out of his head, tiredly pushing his sword between the gap in his belt and sauntering over to the fallen boy. Sena groaned, trying to move.  
  
"Ohh . . . GAH!" he yelped, falling backwards again in agony.  
  
"Don't overdo it. It's alright, I'll carry you. Just relax." The older man smiled sympathetically, hoisting the boy into his arms.  
  
This emotion felt foreign to Aya . . . he felt important . . . no- more than such. What was he feeling? It wasn't exactly LOVE . . . not toward Sena. Rather, this emotion had never even occurred to him, but he'd thought so much about the boy . . . like Sena was . . . like a son to him. Come to think of it, he DID treat Sena like he was his own . . .  
  
Is that what he was feeling?  
  
Were they emotions of fatherhood?  
  
No . . . he couldn't feel such trivial things . . . it was impossible!  
  
. . . Or was it?  
  
---  
  
He was panting as he helped Sena to the front door of the apartment, banging on the door until another one of the others answered.  
  
Ken opened the door slightly to see who it was, gasping as he saw the two- covered in blood, and snow, now melted into droplets of cold water. He pulled the door open fully, taking the burden from Aya, just in time, as the swordsman collapsed to his knees.  
  
He was exhausted, injured, and in a total emotional confusion right now.  
  
He just needed to rest.  
  
"AYA!" Omi trotted toward the fallen man, using Yohji's help to drag him to his bedroom.  
  
Before he could realize that he was actually being carried, Aya was already passed out.  
  
---  
  
He opened his eyes to a dark and seemingly quiet bedroom, staring up at the ceiling. Apparently, somebody had bandaged his wounds and tended to his fever. Both were feeling better than they had been when he lost consciousness. He sighed, closing his eyes once again to fade into dreams.  
  
Hopefully no dreams would come to him tonight.  
  
---  
  
In the shadow of all the forest  
  
Though thee may be old and worn  
  
They would stare unbelieving  
  
At the last unicorn . . .  
  
---  
  
"Aya?" a gentle whisper came to his ears, just before he'd begun to drift off. He didn't have the strength to look over, but did anyway.  
  
Omi sat on the floor, by the wall, close to his bed. Sena, long asleep in his arms, bandaged as well.  
  
"Did you . . . ?"  
  
"Yeah. You didn't get hit too bad, compared to any time before . . . " he sighed. "Sena, even though he was as hurt as he was . . . he was still worried enough about you to nearly kill himself trying to get to your room. He really wanted to see you and make sure you were okay." He smiled compassionately down at the boy on his chest. "I also recall some other certain boy that used to do that for you . . . " he glanced up, winking.  
  
The older man felt a blush bubbling up, but forced it down with a cough.  
  
"Is he gonna be okay?"  
  
"Yeah. He will."  
  
"Good . . . " he sighed, drawing the blanket up around him slightly higher. "Is . . . is it still snowing?"  
  
"Yes. It's so beautiful outside . . . you'd love it."  
  
This was true, ever since Aya could remember; he'd taken a liking to the snow, and always looked forward to it.  
  
---  
  
When the first breath of winter  
  
Free the flowers' dense icing  
  
And you look to the north  
  
And the pale moon is rising . . .  
  
---  
  
Omi was always the first to sleep and the first to wake up . . . but not now. He spent the whole night by Abyssinian's side, holding Sena gently and humming most of the time away as the two slept.  
  
Yohji cracked the door open silently, sometime around nine in the morning, to check on Aya. He smiled compassionately at the scene next to the man's bed. It was seriously priceless and worth a photo . . . but he didn't dare. He motioned to Ken to get a look, both of them in total admiration. It was a cute sight- really. They turned to each other and held a finger to their lips.  
  
"Shh . . . " they agreed quietly, closing the door and leaving the three to rest.  
  
---  
  
"Hey, Yohji?"  
  
"Hn?" the piece of toast hanging out of the man's mouth bounced with the sound.  
  
"Do you think . . . Aya . . . LIKES Sena? Like . . . more than a friend or little brother?"  
  
"Maybe . . . " he swallowed the food quickly and replied. "Though, for some reason, I think he thinks of the new kid as like a family member or something . . . kinda like we think of Omi."  
  
"But . . . I've seen the way he looks at the kid . . . " he sipped his coffee, "It's not like that at all."  
  
"Jealous?"  
  
"What?!" he made an impromptu impression of a garden sprinkler with the coffee, in total embarrassment, partially choking afterwards.  
  
"Great . . . something ELSE to clean up . . . " he laughed, throwing a towel at Ken and one on the floor and wiping it up with his foot. "So . . . can you answer me now?"  
  
"No . . . no . . . I'm not . . . "  
  
"You are. I can see it."  
  
"NO!"  
  
"SHH! Shh! They're TRYING to sleep!" Yohji snapped in a whisper. The two stared each other down for moments until Yohji broke the silence with a new song.  
  
"Ken's in denial, Ken's in denial!" he sang, tossing the paper towel into the trash and trotting toward the living room.  
  
"Grr . . . I'm SO gonna get you for that." Ken mumbled, deciding it was best not to deck the older assassin until everyone was up.  
  
---  
  
"Omi?" Aya groaned, rolling over in the bed. He sighed, finding the younger one still asleep. Sena was wide-awake though, losing all of his breath as he saw the other's eyes open.  
  
"You're okay!" He yelped, leaping for Aya and throwing his arms around him. All of his worries lifted from his chest the second he came in contact with the man. "I'm sorry. I feel like it's all my fault you're so weak and all . . . I'm sorry." He whimpered, nuzzling his nose in Aya's soft hair.  
  
"Shh . . . it's alright. Shh. it's not your fault, it's okay. Really. I've been dealt a lot worse." He smiled, resting a hand on the boy's back. He could only smile to himself, feeling the emotion from the previous night, flooding back into him. He enjoyed this feeling. Although he had no idea what it really was, it still felt good.  
  
---  
  
And it seems like all is dying  
  
And will leave the world to mourn  
  
In the distance, hear the laughter  
  
Of the last unicorn . . .  
  
---  
  
A/N: Okay, that was WAY too short . . . but you get the idea right? I think it's WAY CUTE that those two really could be like father and son in the series . . . if you can, next time you see any of the episodes w/ Sena, there's ALWAYS AYA in it . . . just watch the way they look at each other and act around each other . . . it's weird, but cool.  
  
P13353 R3\/13\/\/! 1 707411Y 10\/3 |_|! 


End file.
